Nayantara Sahgal Quotes

[Race] had no substance, like a shadowy shape that terrifies in the dark but vanishes by the light of day.

In the end countries, like people, are alone, and the real things that must be done have to be done without help.

Civilization itself is housed in the human being.

Choice in any sphere is a peril, the basic division of peoples is of those who believe in choice and those who mistrust it.

Race was a word that bred arrogance, danger and violence. When had incitement to race served a peaceful purpose? Race was a fuel and it needed only a match to light it. Any match - my hostility, your ambition, a third person's advantage.

Passion of any sort is seldom governed by the rules of etiquette.

What was the right level of prosperity, the level that banished dire need but did not satiate, the level that did not threaten the artist in the individual? And how did one stop when one arrived at it?

In India the human being is a symphonic theme. 'The people' is not a compact, close-knit concept, but a sprawling one, flowing not only into different walks of life, but into the intricately woven multi-layers of privilege, wealth, and education. 'The people' created by Gandhi is a young concept.